Mothers Day Surprise!…read more We wanted to take the Mothers somewhere nice and out of town and had seen The Garden Kitchen had been visited by a number of our friends and family on Facebook, all giving great reviews and I can see why! We arrived for final service at 6pm and as you can imagine it was very busy on Mothers Day. The maître d' came straight over to us to let us know how long it would be until we were seated and continuously gave us progress updates. Whilst waiting we perused the small shop of local produce, had a drink and soaked up our surroundings. The Tea Room is a new addition to Holden Clough Nursery being built in the last few years, but looks like it should have always been there! It is beautiful and sympathetically designed to its surroundings. So, the food....WOW! I'd seen pictures but when our Afternoon Tea arrived on a mini picnic bench I felt like clapping!! (In fact, I think I did!!) Such a great idea and adds a little bit of originality and quirkiness to your experience. Everything on my picnic bench was delicious. The Mushroom soup was silky, creamy and full of flavour. The mini Roast Beef Dinner served in an individual yorkshire pudding was beautiful and of course came with a little jug of gravy and beef was tender and pink. The scone was fresh and light with jam that had just the right sweetness and fruit mix. My other main highlight was the Rocky Road, I'm not usually a fan because its too rich and sweet but O-M-G this was amazing. I still find myself thinking about it now two days on. The chocolate melts in your mouth to find small nuggets of biscuit and mini marshmallows.....all washed down with a great cup of coffee. John & Kate who own and run The Garden Kitchen have done a fanstastic job transforming Holden Clough Nursery over the last few years. The service, quality of food and surroundings are 10/10. We will be coming back during the day to visit the nursery (and no doubt the Garden Kitchen too). Thank you for a fantastic evening...and the Mums loved it!! : )

I seen this place on facebook so I added them and I kept seeing them put pictures on of the…read moreafternoon tea which looked amazing so I finally decided to book. I went with my mum, sister and partner for the Valentine's afternoon tea, it was great it was so different from traditional afternoon tea you got soup in a tea cup, two open top sandwiches and a mini quiche which was a nice change from just sandwiches. The cakes you got was a scone. A mini red velvet cake, a heart biscuit, marshmallows with chocolate, profiterole with white chocolate and a mini love potion in a glass boot. We got a glass of pink proseco it was £19.99 each which is a little expensive for the place as its a tree nursery but they do a different theme for different seasons so it's well worth a visit. I would defiantly go

An adorable hidden gem. This traditional tearoom is set up in the lovely home of the former mayor…read more Booking is required but the food is home cooked by the lovely chef Alan, and is delicious. It's an older crowd so the atmosphere is very peaceful and relaxed. The service is quick but never rushed. The staff are so attentive- Linda, the hostess, was friendly and very helpful. This is a great place for a Sunday dinner with family in the countryside! Top tip. Save room for pudding!

I've tried dozens of little tea rooms over the years, but this one is one of the absolute best I've…read moreever been to. The decor is fantastic, relaxing, and quaint, but more importantly, the food is superb. Everything we tried, from the milkshakes to the desserts, were absolutely finger-licking good. The quality was simply superb. This place is worth going out of one's way to visit. If you're looking for a fantastic lunch, it's where it's at. One note, the place tends to be busy, so it can be a bit of a wait for the food or for the staff, but the food is worth the wait.

Lovely little find on the way home from a weekend away, great breakfast, staff are very friendly,…read morewould definitely visit again

Very pleasant tea room and cafe close by the heritage sites of Worsley. There is a garden and…read moreindoor seating. Staff are accommodating and although advertised to close at 1600 ( too early) I had a cream tea at 1600. All good, recommended. They do light lunches too, I am sure that they are good.

This really is a hidden gem - stuck away in Wheelton near Chorley…read more It has a lovely design and a proper homely feel to the place. Great sitting area and they also have free wifi if you ask for the code! Fresh cakes are made each day and there's a good selection of coffees so you can choose the blend for you! Definitely worth the drive to switch off for an hour or two!

April 1st - Certainly not an April Fool!…read more For our wedding anniversary we attended The Village Tearoom's first evening opening as a bistro. The first of three I believe, as test evening events. Well if the Tapas Takeover event was a taste of things to come then we can't wait for the next ! Congrats to local chefs Mark Long & Matthew Agass for the tremendous food, Liz Singleton for the amazing entertainment set, the hard work of the staff during the evening , not to mention the hosts Jackie & Martyn for their warm welcome and letting it all happen. All in all a great evening, good luck for the future and hope it takes off for you all!

Well Hello, did I just fall through a wormhole and traveled back in time? This place will transform…read moreyou to prewar England Circa late 30's maybe 1940. Beautifully and tastefully decorated paying homage to all things prewar hanging on walls and fire mantle, don't miss the restroom. Even if you don't have to go? GO! It's too interesting to miss. The waitresses even dress the part with their dresses, makeup and hair perfectly quaffed. The food; well, I was pleasantly surprised. At first I thought charming quaint themed atmosphere tea room food must be either subpar or just okay. I ordered the daily special and my oh my to my surprise it was real good food served with real Hartlepool happy hospitality. I cannot fault this place. Well expect that it's too far from Miami, Florida. But when in Hartlepool England check this place out for afternoon tea with great Hartlepool charm Prewar. Don't worry you'll be transported back to present times once you get the bill. Not incredibly pricey but not incredibly cheap either I'd say it's reasonable for the food, service and charm. Enjoy.

My daughter recommended we visit here since she enjoyed it so much on her visit to England last…read moreyear. We stopped in here with family for a afternoon snack. It is beautifully decorated with colorful vintage memorabilia. We ordered sandwiches, scones, cheesecakes. Everything was delicious and reasonably priced. I really loved this place!! Also, the owner is sweet and kind.

We were in Blackburn town centre for a street festival of food. We had an enjoyable bit of lunch,…read morethen spotted flags outside of a shop declaring it was Mad Hatters Cupcakes and Tea Room, which had me floating over like a moth to a flame for a little dessert! It has a nice big window allowing the tearoom to be well lit, and seen clearly from the outside, making it all the more inviting. The first thing you see as you walk in is the fantastic blackboard wall full of hand drawn chalk images of quirky scenes from Alice in Wonderland, and various picture frames containing images of cupcakes, signs saying "eat me" and the such. A really nice touch. It's nice that despite being Mad Hatter/Alice in Wonderland themed, they haven't gone absolutely crazy with colour and made it gaudy and horrid, but have gone for some vintage touches, and soft varying pastel colours and bunting, to take the Mad Hatter and soften him a little into a vintage English tearoom. As expected, the space is light, bright and relaxed as various mirrors bounce light around the room. Large and impressive cakes sit on cake stands and bell jars dotted around the space, and on the counter sits a display stand of delicious cupcake varieties. Staff are friendly and welcoming, and happy to reel off the various tea flavours when I asked what was available. The menu has both hot and cold drinks, and offers breakfasts, salads, sandwiches and light lunches, as well as a full afternoon tea. In this instance, we can't stop looking at a large salted caramel cake which seems to be giving us the eye from a stand on one side of the room, and decide to have a slice each, and share a pot of tea. The cake was delicious, and we were offered cream with them too should we want it. It was marvellously sweet and tasty without veering off into "sickly" territory, and naturally it went perfectly with a big pot of tea, which was served with traditional vintage china. Staff were friendly and social, and informed us that they have only been open for around 5 weeks, so everything was still settling, but from what I can see, they're doing very well, and should hopefully continue to do so! Although this was only a fleeting and unplanned visit, we enjoyed it, and agreed that we will definitely pop back in whenever we are next in Blackburn, especially as I had my eye on a strawberries and cream cake that was flirting with me from a cake stand on the opposite side of the room, in all its lovely pink splendidness... I shall be trying that one next time! Well done, Mad Hatters! I wish you luck in your new business! :)

Excellent little coffee shop beautifully decorated in Alice in Wonderland. The staff are very…read morecourteous and welcoming. Food delish and plentiful has a Ploughman's salad which very filling indeed. Well be calling back soon

Afternoon tea at Robineau is just fantastic! Great service and the food was perfect…read more The savoury course had tasty sandwiches, plus the egg mayo was served on a half scone and the salmon in pastry rather than bread.. such good attention to detail. The fruit scones were light as air and served with the option of jam or lemon curd. The cakes were all delicious, moist fruit cake with a crunchy nutty topping, and the best bit.. the salted caramel indulgence! Really good value at £19.95, served in their lovely tea room. We added a baby bottle of prosecco for £5.50. I can't wait to go back! Best afternoon tea I've had!

This is lovely patisserie in Cocketon village in Darlington. Despite being a small shop it is…read moreincredibly organised and staff are incredibly helpful and friendly. As well as making wedding/celebration cakes to order they sell beautiful cakes and scones and fancy pastries. They are also chocolatiers and stock seasonally appropriate novelty items. Items are presented beautifully and therefore can be given as gifts or proudly taken to parties. The mince pies are Christmas were lovely, and I can highly recommend the almond macaroons and the trifle if you are looking for an easy sweet. Maybe not a great stop for the calorie counters out there but I suppose if you jogged there a little treat wouldn't hurt!

Now, what would be nice? We'll start with raspberry ice, and then some cakes and tea…read more.. I love Mary Poppins, and when I saw that Poppins Tearooms was soon to be opening in the heart of Horwich, I couldn't wait to give it a try. The tearooms occupy a former shop unit, which in turn is part of a house, so I was curious how they could make it feel less of a house and more of a venue, but that's the clever part... they intentionally don't! Split into two rooms, the tearooms intentionally feel like an Edwardian parlour, complete with pretty glass sconces, flock wallpaper, and lace tablecloths. The room to the rear of the building is cute, comfortable and (like the rest of the place) cosy. I chose to sit in the first room, but the rear parlour would be ideal if you want a little peaceful intimacy. My initial impression walking in was very pleasant. I walked in from the drizzle and cold wind into the warmth, where golden oldies were playing gently in the background, and a few ladies sat around happily chatting away, laughing and enjoying afternoon teas. A member of staff, complete in Edwardian service uniform welcomed me, and after I hung my coat on the coat stand beside Mary Poppins' hat and parrot handled umbrella, took me to a table and gave me the menu. The menu has some really tasty options both in the delicious sounding food menu, and the impressive tea offerings. I opted to go for the mature cheddar and ham toasted sandwich, and a pot of Assam Bari tea, provided by Ronnefeldt Tea, who are more well known for providing tea to five star hotels. Lucky little Horwich! The loose leaf tea was delicious, and came served in cute vintage crockery. Although this time I chose a toastie, I liked the look of "Tea with Bert", a traditional cream tea which I'll be partaking in next time! My toasted sandwich arrived on doorstop toast, lovingly crammed with ham (no miserly single slices here!), and melting cheddar and served with a bijou dressed salad, and a pot of coleslaw. It was a delicious lunch, and the coleslaw was lovely and crunchy too. The price of this lunch complete with tea came to less than £6, which is very good value! Sadly, Poppins doesn't currently accept card payments, but they plan to in the future once they get a little more established. The owner also told me that she had great plans for the future, not just continuing the Mary Poppins theme (there was talk of a mural and even an upside table on the ceiling!), but other ideas such as tea tasting evenings, and hosting private parties in the rear parlour. Poppins Tearooms is a lovely place and really good value for what is being offered, in such a pleasantly cosy, warm and quaint setting. Whether you fancy a pot of tea and a slice of chocolate cake, or a bowl of warming soup and a glass of rose lemonade, Poppins is somewhere I would happily recommend.

I love coming here because of the Alice and Wonderland theme…read more They do have sandwiches and salads, but you need to try the afternoon teas. I get the Alice's afternoon tea: It has unlimited tea, milk in a cow pourer, sandwiches, salad, scones with clotted cream and jam, a macaron, cream puff,and you get to pick out a cupcake from a list. Everything is so good!

I came here whilst waiting for a late bridal client, and I was pretty glad I did!…read more It was a bit of a grim day outside, and I cosied up on a table on my own, browsed the menu and ordered with the super friendly waitress and settled in with my sketchbook. I can't remember what tea I had, but it was lovely, and with a lemon meringue cupcake, which was pretty tasty, and with a gooey curd centre which made it super moist. I was so happy with the cakes, I took a few to my parents too, and it's rare that I take baked goods anywhere that weren't made by my own fair hand. It was an odd playlist in the background, but they cater so well for dietary requirements too.